Thoughts from a Traveling Man

Tag Archives: expertise

Part of Zen practice is developing the beginner’s mind, that sweet spot from which everything looks new. It is a conscious process of releasing the fetters that bind us to rules and often unconsciously guide our actions and beliefs. All things become possible and we delight in the moment. We sit back and reflect on the path toward expertise that has led us back to a point of newness.

Some experts in expertise (yes, they really exist) believe that in order to do something with any sense of proficiency you have to do it about 10,000 times. That is quite a tall order. I don’t think I have done anything 10,000 times. Who counted repetitions to that high number and then made the determination that someone was an expert? To put it in perspective, if you do something once per day, it would take more than 27 years to have done that thing 10,000 times. The numbers are less important than the concept that doing something three times does not make a person an expert or even proficient. You have to do it a lot.Continue reading →